Marilyn J. Goske, MD

(This biography authored by Richard L. Baron, MD, originally appeared in RadioGraphics)

While her achievements in radiologic education are varied and numerous—helping create the Cleveland Clinic Web Curriculum and the pediatric research component of the American College of Radiology’s Dose Index Registry, just to name a couple—Marilyn J. Goske, MD, is perhaps best known for her work with Image Gently™, the campaign she founded and chaired to promote “child-sized” imaging in the U.S.

Dr Goske is the Corning Benton Endowed Chair for Radiology Education and professor of radiology and pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine and staff radiologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her approach to education—whether her subjects are her pediatric radiology residents and fellows or the medical community at large—is one of innovation, capitalizing on technology and crafting unique strategy to maximize impact and effectiveness.

With special expertise in ultrasound and gastrointestinal imaging, Dr Goske has written and presented extensively on subjects relating to professional standards of practice and patient care in radiology and has published 80 articles in peer-reviewed publications and eight book chapters in addition to numerous electronic publications and scientific exhibits. She currently is a reviewer for Pediatric Radiology, Pediatrics and the American Journal of Roentgenology.

An Ohio native, Dr Goske received her bachelor’s degree at Ohio University in Athens in 1974 and her medical doctor degree at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington in 1977. She completed a residency in diagnostic radiology, served as chief resident, and completed her fellowship in pediatric radiology at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y., an affiliate of The University of Rochester School of Medicine. During her time in Rochester, Dr Goske attended her first Society for Pediatric Radiology meeting and received the John Caffey Award for outstanding research paper, “Experimental Neonatal Intraventricular Hemorrhage: Clinical, Radiographic, and Pathologic Features.”

Dr Goske joined the Cleveland Clinic in 1990 as the first full-time section head of pediatric radiology. As she built a new section, she also founded the Cleveland Clinic Web Based Curriculum for radiology residents with collaborator Janet Reid, MD. The free web site, now featuring some 65 modules, is used by more than 200 radiology residency programs nationally and internationally.

A 2004-2005 medical education fellowship within the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine focused on professionalism and helped Dr Goske further refine her teaching approach. Her fellowship work led to numerous educational initiatives and a unique expertise she has shared with many organizations, including RSNA—Dr Goske has served as a member of the Professionalism Committee since 2004 and concludes a three-year term as chairman this year.

Dr Goske began her long history of service to SPR as coordinator of the society’s first video-taped course in 1994. She organized the society’s first formal survey as chair of the Membership Committee, then served as a board member, board secretary, and president and chair of the board of directors. She and Stuart Royal, MD, are credited with energizing SPR’s Campaign for Children, raising funds for SPR’s Research and Education Foundation. Dr Goske also expanded the work of prior presidents in organizing the Corporate Support committee and was instrumental in the founding of the junior SPR. The 2007 SPR national meeting she led is remembered as an educational summit to enhance knowledge in adult learning and resident competencies.

It was during Dr Goske’s term as chairman of the SPR board—which coincided with her move to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to join the radiology department and assume the endowed chair—that she became increasingly concerned about the apparent lack of change in practice by a majority of pediatric radiologists, despite growing reports of adverse side effects from radiation dose. Her answer was a public relations and awareness campaign aimed at inspiring all physicians to decrease radiation exposure to children when possible. The Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging and the Image Gently campaign initially focused on CT and have subsequently expanded to other modalities. She credits the support of the founding organizations and a passionate steering committee of pediatric radiologists, radiologic technologists and medical imaging physicists for their significant contributions to the campaign.

The Alliance’s “child sizing” message is credited with prompting a groundswell of awareness, change in practice and research. More than 70 organizations, including 24 international societies, with more than 800,000 members have joined the Alliance, which also has spawned the adult-focused Image Wisely campaign.

Dr Goske has worked with the ACR Dose Index Registry and Quality Improvement Registry in CT Scans in Children (QuIRCC), focusing on children and developing diagnostic reference levels with other pediatric radiologists, medical physicists and technologists. An expert advisor to the International Atomic Energy Agency, World Health Organization, National Council on Radiation Protection in Medicine, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Dr Goske also lent her time and talents to the John Caffey Honorary Society, European Society of Pediatric Radiology, American Association for Women Radiologists, and Society of Chairs of Radiology in Children's Hospitals, as well as dozens of hospital and national committees.

Among the 16 grants that have funded Dr Goske’s research are some from SPR and RSNA—her “Developing a “Best Practice” National Registry for CT Scans in Children” project was funded with a Derek Harwood-Nash Education Scholar Grant from the RSNA Research & Education Foundation.